What Am I To Do?
by SilverMidnight52
Summary: The next story in the 'Angel Sanders' 'verse. Five years after visiting Nick's parents Angel and Spencer are growing closer together, but something happening with Greg might tear them apart. Will he survive? Sequeal to 'How These Things Work.'
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing. Adding another story to the Angel Sanders world. I hope you like it. Five years after last story. Angel is twelve while Spencer is thirteen. Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Mr. Stokes," Spencer said when I opened the front door.

"Hello Spencer," I said smiling, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if Angel wanted to hang out," he said looking at the door.

"She's outside with Zero," I said pointing back, "Go on through."

"Thank you," he said grinning.

I watched as Spencer went through the house. It had been almost five years since Spencer and his family had moved here. I was glad that he was here and friends with Angel.

Angel had never seemed so happy and free before. It was like she was a totally different person since she became friends with him. Greg said that it was like this when she was friends with Danny.

Since I wasn't around when Danny was alive it was nice to see how childish Angel could be. I was so used to seeing her acting like an adult that I almost forgot that she was only twelve years old.

Turning around I walked to the back door and looked outside. Spencer and Angel were running around playing catch with Zero. A huge smile was adorning both of their faces.

"What are you watching Nicky?" Greg said coming up behind me.

"Spencer and Angel," I said softly.

"They look like they're having fun," he said linking our hands together.

"Yeah," I said smiling.

"I missed seeing her smile like that," he said calmly.

"She looks young," I said pulling him closer.

"I was thinking innocent," he said sadly.

I looked down at Greg and saw how much emotion was in his eyes. Greg cared so much about Angel. While Angel looked like the child she was Greg looked a few years younger himself.

After losing Danny both Angel and Greg had a haunted look in their eyes. You never expected to have someone you cared about killed. Even when you prepare for it you are never prepared.

As Spencer came closer in Angel's life her eyes started to become lighter. It was taking a little longer for Greg though. He didn't want to be too close incase Spencer hurt Angel or got hurt himself.

It was hard to believe that Greg was as close to me as he was. He protected his heart with such vigor. The two of us were so close and it had come on so quickly. I was surprised that it happened.

"Papa," Angel said running up to me, "Daddy."

"Hello Angel," Greg said lifting her up, "Hello Spencer."

"Hey Mr. Sanders," Spencer said smiling, "My Dad wanted to ask if you guys wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow."

"We'd love to," Greg said smiling, "Are you two hungry? I was about to order some pizza."

"Yes Daddy," Angel said kissing his cheek.

"Thank you Mr. Sanders," Spencer said nodding.

"Okay," Greg said putting Angel down.

"Come on Spencer," Angel said offering her hand to the boy, "I'll get us some milk."

"Okay," Spencer said taking her hand.

Angel and Spencer walked away from us with their finger intertwined. Smirking I looked at Greg and saw a small smile on his lips. I stepped closer to him and kissed his lips gently.

"They're good for each other," Greg said in a whisper.

"Yes they are," I said calmly, "Very good."

I stared into Greg's eyes for a moment before Zero ran up and jumped on me. Laughing I pushed her off and started to pet her head. Zero spun around a few times before running into the kitchen.

Greg shook his head and grabbed the phone. I smiled at him and walked into the kitchen. Angel and Spencer were sitting at the table with two glasses of milk between them.

Zero was sitting at Angel's feet. Zero looked up at me and smiled her dog smile before walking out of the room. She never left Angel alone unless Greg or I were in the same room.

"Hi Papa," Angel said grinning, "Want some milk?"

"No thank you," I said smiling back.

"Okay," she said nodding.

Angel turned back to Spencer and smiled widely before going to the fridge. I saw Spencer blush red when Angel turned away. Spencer looked at me and blushed harder when he saw my grin.

It wasn't hard to figure out that Spencer liked Angel. He was a sweet kid though and he took good care of making sure that Angel was safe and happy. I would be happy if the two of them dated.

I didn't know if Angel liked him the same way though. She was hard to read even to Greg sometimes. Although she would tell us if anything big would happen to her. Even if it was just a crush.

"Pizza will be here soon," Greg said walking in the room, "What time do you have to be home Spencer?"

"Seven," Spencer said calmly.

"Alright," he said nodding, "Why don't the two of you go put a movie in?"

"Okay," Angel said grinning.

Spencer quickly got off the chair and offered his hand to Angel while smiling shyly. Angel took his hand and let him take her into the living room. Zero almost instantly ran through the kitchen and into the living room with them.

Turning to Greg I grinned. He smiled back while laughing slightly. We both knew that no matter how smart Angel was she wasn't seeing that Spencer had a huge crush on her.

"They're so cute at that age," I said causing both of us to start laughing again.

Greg stepped closer to me once more and wrapped his arms around my neck. My hands went to his waist. A sigh slipped through his lips while his head rested on my shoulder.

"What's wrong Greg?" I asked concerned, "You've been weird all day."

"I don't know," Greg said sighing, "My head has been killing me all day."

"Why don't you go lay down Sweetheart?" I asked lowering my voice slightly, "I can take care of Spencer and Angel."

"Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," I said kissing his forehead, "Go lay down."

Greg nodded his head and kissed me gently before walking toward our room. His head was down and his shoulders were sagging. I could tell that he really wasn't feeling well today.

Taking a deep breath I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went into the living room. Angel and Zero were by the DVD case while Spencer was sitting on the couch.

Spencer looked confused while he stared at Angel. As I looked at him I thought that maybe he didn't know what was going on with him either. It was possible. I didn't understand what was going on when I had my first crush either.

A knock on the door had Zero growling softly in the back of her throat while she moved closer to me. I gently petted her head and moved toward the door. Looking through the peephole I saw Chris.

"Hey Chris," I said opening the door, "What's going on?"

"I found something of Angel's in the kitchen," Chris said holding up a book, "I thought she might like it back."

"That's where that went," Angel said running up and taking the book from Chris, "Thank you Mr. Gates."

"You're welcome," Chris said smiling, "Hi Spencer."

"Hi Dad," Spencer said smiling slightly.

Looking at Spencer I decided that I was going to bring up what was going on with Spencer to Chris. I moved my hand motioning for Chris to follow me into the kitchen so we could talk alone.

"What's up Nick?" Chris asked softly.

"Has Spencer said anything about Angel?" I asked calmly.

"No," he said shaking his head, "Why?"

"I think he has a crush on her," I said smiling.

"Let's find out," he said smirking, "Spencer, can you help us in here?"

"Sure Dad," Spencer said walking in, "What do you need help with?"

"Nothing," he said shrugging, "I just need to ask you something."

"Okay," Spencer said confused, "What do you need to ask?"

"Do you have a crush on Angel?" Chris said easily.

Spencer's eyes went wide when he heard the question. After a moment he looked down and blushed. Chris and I looked at each other knowing that we had our answer right then.

"It's okay to have a crush on her," I said softly.

"Yeah," Chris said kneeling next to Spencer, "If you like her then you like her."

"I do," Spencer said nodding, "I like her a lot. I just. I don't know what to do about it. What am I supposed to do? I don't want to ruin the friendship that we have now. She's my best friend, Dad. I can't lose that."


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing. Oh dear. Sad chapter. I hope everything works out. Hehe. Enjoy!

* * *

"Daddy," Angel said knocking on the door softly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said calmly, "I just have a headache."

"Oh," she said sadly, "I'll talk to you when you feel better then."

"Freeze Princess," I said patting the spot next to me, "Get over here and tell me what's wrong."

Angel shut the door behind her and curled up next to me with a sigh. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. Once her head was laying on my chest I started to rub her back.

A shaky breath slipped through Angel's lips again. Her body started to shake and I felt my shirt starting to get wet. Whatever was bothering Angel must be something big or she wouldn't be acting like this.

"What's wrong Hun?" I asked slowly.

"Spencer," Angel said sighing.

"What happened?" I said confused.

"I think I like him," she said softly.

"Okay," I said nodding, "What's the problem?"

"Daddy," she said whining, "Spencer is my best friend. It's like before you and Papa got together. You were too scared about telling him because you didn't know what he was going to do. What if he doesn't like me?"

"Then he's a fool," I said smiling, "Angel, you're amazing. And I know that I'm your dad and I have to say things like that, but believe me when I saw that if Spencer doesn't like you then he must not be the genius he claims to be."

"Thanks Daddy," she said hugging me, "Daddy, you're burning up."

"I'm just getting sick," I said brushing her hair out of her face, "Now go back out there and hang out with Spencer."

"Okay," she said climbing out of bed, "Get better Daddy."

"I will Princess," I said as she left.

I let out a soft sigh when Angel had closed the door. So far I had been feeling sick for about three days and now it was affecting me. I hated hiding how sick I was, but I didn't want Nick or Angel to worry about me.

At the moment though I was feeling bad enough that I was ready to go to the doctor. It took forever to get me to go to the doctors when I had to do it for work, but it was worse when I just didn't feel well.

Looking around the room I noticed how dark it was. The blinds were pulled tight so no sun could come in and all the lights were out completely. I couldn't even see my hand five inches from my face.

I climbed out of bed and went to the closet. My hands reached out in front of me grabbing the first shirt I found. I didn't want anyone to know that Angel had been crying or they would be worried about her too.

Walking out of the bedroom I made my way to the kitchen where I hoped Nick was. I was lucky that Nick was talking with Chris while Spencer walked into the living room with Angel.

"Greg," Nick said turning to me, "You don't look so good."

"I don't feel good," I said softly, "I think I should go to the doctor."

"Okay," he said brushing some hair from my face, "You're burning up. Chris, can you watch the kids while we go to the doctor?"

"No problem," Chris said quickly, "Get better Greg."

"Thanks," I said walking into the living room.

Angel and Spencer were sitting on the couch together watching a movie. Their eyes both moved to me when I walked in and worry filled both of them. Angel instantly got up and ran to my side.

"Daddy?" Angel asked childishly.

"I'm going to the doctor," I said honestly, "I'm sure it's nothing. I just want to get over this quickly, okay?"

"Okay," she said softly.

"Chris will stay with you guys while we're gone," Nick said wrapping an arm around my waist, "I'll call in exactly an hour."

"Promise?" Angel said biting her lip.

"Yes," he said nodding, "I promise."

Angel looked between us before hugging us both tightly. When she let go she looked even more worried, but she also knew that I wasn't superman. Although I wished she still thought that.

As Nick and I walked out of the house I heard a soft sob and turned to see Angel holding onto Spencer for dear life while her body shook with tears. I wanted nothing more then to hold her to me, but I knew that I needed the doctor and she couldn't come.

Tears filled my eyes and I tried not to call this whole thing off. Nick rubbed my back slightly and led me out of the house. He got to the car and opened the door to help me in.

When he was in the drivers seat I saw him gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were turning white. This was hurting me just as much as it was hurting Angel and I hated it more then I ever thought I would.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"Don't be sorry Sweetheart," Nick said quickly, "It's not your fault you're sick."

"I know," I said sighing, "But Angel and you, you're both so worried about me and I hate that."

"Shh," he said taking my hand in his, "Everything will be okay."

I nodded my head slightly and gripped his hand as tightly as I could. Seeing Angel like that truly made my heart break because I knew I was the one causing her to look so sad.

The drive to the doctors office was quiet, even the radio wasn't on. I hated how quiet it was, but my head was too far gone to think of turning the radio on or talking to Nick.

Once we were at the office Nick was holding me tightly. The worry was basically pouring from him and I was concerned with him more then myself. Nick would go to an extreme when he was worried.

It was lucky that I was the only one at the office when we came in and the doctor almost instantly was ready to see me. As we went into his office I noticed that Nick was shaking slightly.

"Hello Mr. Sanders," Dr. Eely said smiling, "Tell me what's wrong."

"My head mostly," I said calmly, "It's been pounding for a few days and it's getting to the point where I can't really eat anything and when I do it doesn't stay down."

"Okay," he said nodding, "You're in luck. We just got a MRI machine. Get changed into that and we'll get you into that machine."

"Yeah," I said watching as Nick and Dr. Eely walked out of the room.

I looked around the room and took a deep breath. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking as I got changed. I didn't want it to be anything bad, but my head was almost instantly going to everything being horrible.

If anything went bad and I wasn't here for Angel I don't know what would happen. Angel would have Nick and Spencer and Chris, but she needed me to be there for her.

Angel had already lost her mother I didn't want her to have to lose her father as well. If there was one thing in this world that I wanted it was to be with Angel for as long as I could.

Once I was changed I walked out of the room and saw Nick leaning against the wall staring at the floor while Dr. Eely was waiting patiently for me. They both looked at me when the door opened.

"Ready Mr. Sanders?" Dr. Eely said leading us into a different room.

"No," I said honestly, "But do I have a choice?"

"I don't think so," he said smiling, "Let's get you comfortable."

I nodded my head again and followed what Dr. Eely said. I ended up laying down and waiting as Dr. Eely and Nick stood in a different room watching me and the computer screens.

It took awhile before the doctor came back in and got me out of the machine. This time he had brought in a wheelchair with him. I was confused, but allowed him to help me into the chair.

Dr. Eely started to push me away and through the rooms until we got back to his office where he made a phone call. My eyes went to Nick, but he was refusing to move his eyes from the wall.

I wanted to ask what was going on, but with the way both of them were acting I wasn't looking forward to what was going to be said. Whatever it wasn't couldn't be good though.

"I'm going to have you brought to the hospital," Dr. Eely said slowly, "An ambulance will be here in a few moments."

"What's going on?" I asked confused, "What did you see?"

"A tumor," he said sighing, "That's what's causing your headaches. And we need to find out everything about it."

"Okay," I said taking a shaky breath.

A bang came from the right of me causing both Dr. Eely and I to jump. Turning around I saw Nick leaning against the wall with his fist clenched. The wall around his fist looked like it was falling apart.

"Mr. Stokes," Dr. Eely said sighing, "Punching a wall isn't the answer."

I stared at Nick trying to see what was going on through his head. Nick walked closer to me and kneeled down. His hands gripped mine and pulled me down for a deep kiss. It was like he was trying to show how much he cares about me before I left.


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing. Oh no Spencer! Poor him. Enjoy!

* * *

"Can I have some juice Mr. Gates?" Angel asked wiping the tears away.

"Of course," I said kissing her forehead, "I'll be right back you two."

I went into the kitchen and got out Angel's favorite cup. It was lucky that I had taken care of Angel before so I knew where everything in the house was. It was like a second home to both Spencer and I.

Once I had the juice for Angel I walked back in the living room. Angel had curled up her body into a ball and was leaning against Spencer. Spencer was holding Angel and rubbing her back gently while Zero laid on her feet quietly.

Sitting next to Angel I handed her the cup and took a deep breath. Her body unfolded but she tried her harder to be smaller then she was. I don't know whether it was because she wanted to disappear or wanted to be someplace else.

I understood why Greg and Nick didn't want her to be with them while they went to the doctors office. It took a lot from my mother before I could even think about bringing Spencer to my doctors appointments.

"Angel," Spencer said softly, "I know that it's hard, but your dad with be fine."

"Will it?" Angel asked looking up at him.

"Yes," he said nodding, "It doesn't seem like it now, I know. It will be fine though."

"Thanks Spencer," she said hugging him tightly.

Spencer blushed red before pulling away from the hug. Angel was smiling slightly when I saw her face. She looked a little better then she had at first. I was happy to see that she was at least felt better.

"It's almost ten o'clock," I said looking at the clock, "I doubt either of you are going to get much sleep so Angel why don't you go get some blankets out of your room and we'll make a little fort in here."

"Okay," Angel said nodding.

I watched Angel run into her room with Zero at her heels. Before I could say anything Spencer had walked into the kitchen quietly. I didn't know what was going on through his head, but I could guess it was about me.

Spencer had a hard time when it came to me and when I had cancer. He still flinched whenever the story was brought up. I did my best never to remind him about what happened.

Angel was the first to come back. Her hands were full of big blankets and a few pillows. I smiled gently at her and helped her put them down so all of us could sleep on the floor.

We had figured everything out with the blankets and the pillows and Spencer still wasn't back in the room. I looked down at Angel and saw her petting Zero gently. I got up and walked into the kitchen.

Looking around the room I didn't see Spencer anyway. Fear coursed through me as I started to look around the whole house for him. When I couldn't find him I walked back into the living room and looked at Angel.

"Angel," I said kneeling next to her, "I need you to call someone that you trust."

"Why?" Angel asked confused.

"I need to go get Spencer," I said honestly.

"He's not here?" she said her eyes wide.

"Shh," I said calmly, "It's okay. Spencer does this sometimes. I just need to go get him and I can't bring you or leave you alone. Can you call someone that you trust to take care of you?"

"Yeah," she said nodding, "I'll call Grissom."

"Okay," I said smiling, "Don't worry. Spencer will be fine and so will your dad."

"Thanks Mr. Gates," she said grabbing the phone, "Why is Spencer gone though?"

"When I had cancer Spencer couldn't handle it," I said sighing, "It wasn't that far after his mother was killed in a car accident. He didn't talk for a long time and he was finally coming out of his shell when I was diagnosed. It broke his heart and he started to disappear. I didn't know that he was leaving. We thought he was in his room. Once we found out what he was doing my mom went to find him. It happened a lot and each place was new. I'm going to go find him once Grissom is here."

"Okay," she said dialing the phone.

I waited until Angel had hung up the phone before grabbing my jacket. We sat down on the couch in silence. A knock on the door caused both of us to jump up and go to the door.

"Hi Grissom," Angel said waving at the man.

"Hello Angel," Grissom said smiling, "Hello, I'm Gil Grissom."

"I'm Chris Gates," I said shaking his hand, "I'm sorry to call you on such short notice, but I need someone to watch Angel."

"Where are Greg and Nick?" he asked confused.

"They went to the doctor," I said sighing, "I can't explain more. My son is out there somewhere and I need to find him."

"You should have called the cops," he said quickly.

"No," I said putting my hand up, "Spencer will just run if the cops get involved. I can find him easily and talk to him. He's just scared. Angel you trust Mr. Grissom right?"

"Yes," Angel said nodding, "He's Daddy and Papa's boss."

"Okay," I said taking a deep breath, "I'll be back soon Mr. Grissom."

I shut the door behind me and ran away from the house. My mom told me stories about how Spencer would run away from her when he was supposed to be sleeping in his room.

For the longest time she didn't know where he was going to. Every time he would come from a different direction. She asked him where he went, but he refused to speak to her at all.

It wasn't until after I got out of the hospital that we were able to find him. The places were always different, but they had something in common. Spencer was the only person there.

Most of the places were underground or in places that no one went to anymore. After awhile I finally figured out what was going on it was a lot easier to know when he was thinking of leaving.

I had no clue how I missed it this time. With everything that was going on it was very similar to how it was when I had cancer. I hoped that I could stop him before everything got out of hand.

I looked around for almost an hour before I was able to find Spencer. He was sitting on the roof of an abandoned building. Once I found a place so I could get up there I did it as quietly as I could.

Spencer didn't turn around at all though I knew he had heard me come up. I sat next to him and sighed. It was just like it was before and it made my heart ache thinking about how similar the times were.

"He'll be fine, right Dad?" Spencer asked in a whisper.

"Yes," I said nodding my head.

"How do you know?" he asked confused.

"I have faith," I said calmly, "I know it doesn't sound like much, but as long as I have faith that everything will be okay. It will be."

"I wish I had faith," he said resting his head on his knees, "I don't though. After seeing you when you were sick. How am I supposed to have faith?"

Staring down at Spencer I hated how haunted his eyes looked. I lifted him up and rested his head on my chest. I made sure that he could hear my heart beating along with my breathing.

"Do you hear that?" I asked softly.

"Yeah," Spencer said nodding.

"Tell me what it is," I said firmly.

"Your heart beat and your breathing," he said slowly.

"That's why you should have faith," I said making him look at me, "Because I'm still alive Spencer. I'm still breathing. My heart is still beating."

Spencer took a shaky breath before gripping me tightly and sobbing into my neck. I lifted him up and got off the roof slowly. Once I was on the ground I made sure he wouldn't fall and started to walk back to the house.

As I was walking I felt Spencer start to nod off. When I was fully asleep I tilted his head and looked down at his face. He looked sad and worn out. It was hard to watch him with that look on his face.

I got back to the house and opened the door quietly. Angel was laying on the floor with Zero sitting next to her. I could tell that she was fast asleep while Zero was watching me intently.

Walking over to Angel I rested Spencer next to her. I was lucky that Spencer was still thin enough so I could carry him around. It was getting to the point that I couldn't do that though.

"Mr. Gates," Grissom said softly.

Turning around I saw him standing at the door to the kitchen. I made sure that Spencer was covered with a blanket before going into the kitchen so he and I could talk normally.

"You can call me Chris, Mr. Grissom," I said calmly.

"Only if you call me Grissom," Grissom said smiling, "I just wanted to make sure that your son was alright."

"He is," I said sighing, "It was just a little too much for him. I just hope it doesn't happen again."

"What doesn't happen again?" he asked confused.

"Me getting cancer," I said sadly.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing. More angst. Enjoy.

* * *

"Hey Nick," Chris said picking up the phone, "I thought you guys would have been home by now. Is everything alright?"

"No," I said slowly, "They found a tumor in Greg's brain. The doctor said that they had to do surgery."

"Oh," he said sighing, "Nick, I'm so sorry."

"They don't know if it's anything at all," I said quickly, "It might be nothing at all."

"I know," he said calmly, "Do you want me to bring Angel to the hospital?"

"I don't think it will be a good idea," I said shaking my head.

I didn't want to Angel to see Greg like that. From what I was told it tore her up when he was in the hospital after the lab blew up. I couldn't put either of them through that again.

"Trust me Nick," Chris said softly, "I wish I had brought Spencer to my doctor from the beginning. It will be for the best."

"Okay," I said sighing, "Bring her down. Just give us an hour okay?"

"Sure," he said quickly, "Trust me Nick. I went through the same thing with Spencer. It will all work out."

"Yeah," I said numbly, "See you in an hour."

I hung up the phone and turned back to the nurse. She smiled sympathetically and took the phone away from me. I tried to smile back and started to walk back to Greg's room.

The surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning and both Greg and I were scared to death. Neither of us had been in a situation like this at any point in time. We didn't know what to do.

I wanted to ask Chris all about when he had his cancer and hopefully get some advice of how to handle it with Angel. The only problem was that Angel wasn't Spencer and I didn't know if we should try what worked on him.

"Did you call Chris?" Greg asked softly.

"Yeah," I said taking his hand, "He's bringing Angel and Spencer in an hour."

"What?" he said shocked, "I don't want Angel to see me like this."

"I think it's a good idea," I said slowly, "So does Chris. He told me that Spencer basically broke down while he was in the hospital and it would have been better if Spencer had known everything from the beginning instead of hearing anything at once."

"You should have asked me," he said angrily.

"You would have said no," I said shrugging, "I know you want to protect her, but she already knows what is going on. She deserves to know the rest."

"Fine," he said sighing.

"It will be fine Greg," I said squeezing his hand, "You'll be fine."

"I hope," he said kissing the back of my hand.

We lapsed into silence after that. I hated that all I was thinking about was what would happen to Angel if Greg didn't pull through. He had to. I couldn't lose Greg. I've only had him and Angel for a few years.

Greg must have been reading my mind because he pulled me closer to him and hugged me tightly. A sigh slipped from his lips before he made me look into his eyes. I didn't like what I saw.

"I want you to take care of Angel," Greg said softly, "If I don't make it out."

"You will," I said firmly.

"You don't know that," he said calmly, "Please, I need to know that Angel will go someplace that will take care of her."

I stared at Greg for a moment. I didn't want to answer him. It felt like if I told him Angel would be safe he wouldn't fight as hard as he would if Angel didn't have anywhere to go.

"Please," Greg said loudly, "Just give me that."

"Okay," I said nodding, "But you're not going anywhere."

"Nick," he said sighing.

"No," I yelled standing up.

"Papa," a tiny voice said behind me.

Turning around quickly I saw Angel standing at the doorway with Chris and Spencer. Her eyes were wide with shock. She had never heard me raise my voice to anyone before.

"Angel," I said taking a step closer to her.

Before I was able to do anything she took off down the hallway. Spencer was quick to follow her. I expected Chris to follow them, but he just walked into the room and sat next to Greg.

"Don't," Chris said as I started to leave the room, "Let Spencer take care of it. He'll help her more then any of us could."

"How do you know?" I asked confused.

"Because he's been there," he said sadly.

Chris looked sad as he looked at Greg laying in the bed. For the first time I realized that Chris held a troubled look in his eyes. He had been here before, expect it was him in the hospital bed.

I never really thought about how Chris had come so close to dying and Spencer came to losing his father. At the moment it made me even more glad that we had gone into that salon years ago.

Neither Chris nor Spencer ever talked about when Chris had cancer. It even took a lot to get Jenny to talk about it. Greg and I never had asked about it or the crash that had killed Spencer's mother.

"I was twenty-two," Chris said softly, "Lily had taken the car to pick up some milk for the pancakes. I would have gone, but Spencer had been up all night with a fever and I was taking care of him. It was really early in the morning, around five, I think. Lily said that some chocolate chip pancakes would make everything better. She always said that when one of us was sick.

After an hour of waiting I called my mom and had her come take care of Spencer. I went driving around until I found the wreck. Some rich guy was stumbling out of his car with barely a scratch on him. He kept yelling about how the lady had hit him and it was her fault. I could smell the alcohol on him from ten feet away. I snapped. I ended up putting him in the hospital and got arrested. Luckily I knew a good lawyer and I didn't hurt the guy too badly.

Anyway, Lily was dead on arrival. They said that she didn't feel anything, but I know that was a lie. Lily felt everything. Spencer fell and scrapped his leg Lily was crying right along with him. She was the rock holding the family together. When she was gone Spencer shut down. He wouldn't talk and would barely speak. I tried everything I could think of and nothing worked.

He went to a psychiatrist for awhile. After a few months we finally started to hear him talk again. Not much, but it was still something and I was so happy for that. Then I was diagnosed with cancer. That time it became worse. I didn't bring him to any of the doctors appointments and it was like he didn't exist for awhile. I found out he was running away from home when he was supposed to be sleeping.

I was so scared, but he always came home safely. Once I was out of the hospital though it didn't stop. That's why we moved to Texas. Spencer didn't feel safe anymore in that house or that city. So, that is what happened when I had cancer and when Lily died. Greg, I'm telling you this because I know you don't want Angel to see you like this, that it will break her, but not seeing you will hurt even more. You have to trust that when Angel has had enough she will tell you. Don't take that away from her like I did Spencer. She'll only think that the worst is happening."

I stared at Chris in wonder. I didn't know that he had gone through so much so quickly and I doubted that was the whole story. He must have left a lot out of how he felt and how Spencer had felt.

My eyes went to Greg and I saw tears in his eyes. I sat next to him and pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head in my stomach as tears soaked into my shirt.

"Papa," Angel said softly.

"Angel," I said matching her tone.

"You're not going to yell again?" she asked biting her lip.

"No Princess," I said sighing, "I'm sorry I scared you before."

"It's okay," she said nodding, "Spencer said you were mad at the situation. I guess that makes sense."

"Come here," Greg said patting the bed.

Angel smiled slightly and ran over to the bed. She climbed in and cuddled into Greg's side while grabbing my hand. I smiled back and kissed both Greg's and Angel's forehead.

I heard a chair scrape against the floor and saw Chris standing up and walking to Spencer, who had yet to walk into the hospital room. Spencer already looked like he was trying not to run away again.

They talked for a moment before Chris brought Spencer into the room and had him sit down. Spencer still don't like comfortable, but he wasn't going to run away anymore.

"Thanks Spencer," Angel said softly.

"No problem," Spencer said smiling.

Angel moved and pressed a kiss to Spencer's cheek before resting her head on Greg's chest once again. Chris, Greg, and I shared a smirk as we saw Spencer start blushing again.

"Spencer and I will go get some food," Chris said calmly.

"Chocolate chip pancakes," Spencer said back, "Mom said they were magic."


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing. Last chapter. Hmm...Angel is growing up. I'm so proud! Hehe. Enjoy!

* * *

"Mr. Gates," Angel said sitting next to me, "You don't have to stay here. You and Spencer can go home."

"Not a chance Angel," I said smiling, "Anyway, Spencer is refusing to leave."

"Oh," she said blushing.

"You like him," I said in a singsong voice.

Angel looked away as the blush grew stronger one her face. As I looked down at her I realized it was going to be a lot easier getting them together then I had originally thought.

I looked around the waiting room and saw Nick leaning against the wall and Spencer laying one the floor. Spencer looked like he was trying to type on a computer which usually meant that he was writing a story in his head.

The surgery was going to take a few hours and it was going to be even worse if all of us were just waiting and going through all that could go wrong. We needed to at least sort of distract ourselves.

"I'll be right back," I said standing up, "Spencer, why don't you and Angel talk while I'm gone?"

"Yeah," Spencer said walking over to us.

Once I was sure that Spencer and Angel were going to be fine I walked to the elevator and went outside. After I got outside I pulled out my cell phone and called my mother.

"Hey Mom," I said calmly, "I'm at the hospital with everyone and I was hoping that you could bring over Spencer's laptop."

"Sure Hun," Mom said instantly, "I'll be right over and I just got some cookies out of the oven and I'll bring those too. What floor are you on?"

"We're on the fourth floor in the waiting room," I said smiling, "See you soon Mom."

I hung up the phone and walked back inside. Walking into the waiting room I saw Spencer and Angel talking to themselves quietly. Angel looked like she was sad, but also that Spencer was helping her a lot.

Going over to Nick I poked his arm and pointed to them. He looked over and smiled sadly. It was a good thing that those two were growing closer, but this wasn't the best time.

"I know that you're sad Nick," I said calmly, "But Greg will be fine and Angel is right there. Healthy and happy, it will all work out."

"How do you know?" Nick asked slowly, "How can you be so sure that everything will be fine?"

"Because I do," I said smiling, "It will all be fine."

"I've seen so much in this line of work," he said sighing, "Why should I believe that everything will be fine when so many good people die for no reason everyday?"

"Once you give up on just having faith then you're just waiting for the bad to happen so you don't remember the good," I said touching his arm, "Just believe in the good and it will happen."

"Yeah," he said shaking his head, "You're right."

"Of course I am," I said grinning, "It's how I work."

Nick looked up at me and nodded before going to sit down. I took a deep breath while running a hand through my hair. I didn't realize how it felt to be on this side of the situation.

"Chris," Mom said walking out of the elevator, "Oh Nick, come here."

Mom went to Nick and hugged him tightly while saying something. I knew that it was her saying that Greg was going to be fine. If Nick was going to believe anyone it was going to be her.

"Grandma," Spencer said surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad asked me to bring you this," Mom said handing him the laptop, "Angel, you get over here too. I have cookies."

"Thank you Ms Jenny," Angel said taking the cookies.

"You two go over there and play on the laptop," Mom said smiling, "I have to go and get ready for work. I'll me back in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay," I said nodding, "Thanks Mom."

"Welcome Hun," she said kissing my cheek, "Have faith Nick."

Mom walked back to the elevators and left again. I waved to her as she left and smiled knowing she had done exactly what I wanted. Spencer had kept a picture of Angel and him as his background.

I was just planting pieces so the two of them figured out they liked each other and got together. It might be a little early for them to start dating, but they would be good together.

It was going to be amazing when I thought about how it was going to work out. My plan was working perfectly, I just wished it all came at a different, a better time for Angel.

Sitting next to Nick I kept watching Angel and Spencer out of the corner of my eye. I saw Angel's eyes widen slightly before a smile came onto her lips. She blushed and moved closer to Spencer.

Spencer smiled back happily and moved closer to her as well. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I knew that they had figured it out. I couldn't help but some and think about the future.

Shutting my eyes I let my mind wonder and try to forget that we were in a hospital and that it was possible that Greg was going to die. I didn't know what would happen to Angel if he was to die.

It was about three hours before anyone came out to see us. A nurse walked over to Nick and talked so softly that I couldn't hear her. Nick jumped up when she was done and walked away with her.

I stood up and hoped that Nick would turn and tell me what was going on, but he didn't. He just smiled and continued to follow the nurse. With that smile I knew that Greg was going to be fine.

"Dad," Spencer said running up to me with Angel, "What's going on?"

"I don't know," I said honestly, "But I think that everything is going to be fine."

Angel smiled happily and hugged me tightly before turning to Spencer and hugging him too. Spencer hugged her back while brushing her hair out of her face with a smile.

We waited in the waiting room for Nick to come back and tell us what was going on. It was going to take awhile. I knew that Nick would wanted to see Greg alone for a few moments.

"Angel," Nick said walking to us.

Angel looked at him with hope filled eyes. Nick smiled and lifted her up into a hug. I saw him mumble something into her ear before she let out a happy sob and held onto him tightly.

I pulled Spencer to me and hugged him calmly. Spencer looked up at me happily and hugged me back. It was amazing knowing that everything was going to be fine. That Greg was going to be fine.

"He wants to see everyone," Nick said softly.

"You two go in first," I said calmly, "We'll come in within ten minutes."

Nick nodded his head before walking away with Angel in his arms. I smiled happily as they walked away. I was happy knowing that I hadn't let them down when I said that Greg would be fine.

"Dad," Spencer said softly, "I know why you did it."

"Why I did what?" I asked confused.

"I know why you had Grandma bring my laptop," he said smiling, "And thanks."

"Did my plan work?" I said smirking.

"Like your plans fail," he said rolling his eyes, "I told her that I like her and she said that she liked me too."

"So," I said motioning with my hands, "Don't keep me guessing."

"Before anything happens we're going to wait for Mr. Sanders to get better," he said grinning, "But after that it will change."

"Yeah," I said sighing happily, "I am good."

Laughing I looked at my clock and decided that we were going to go in. I started to push Spencer so we could go into the room. Before I opened the door I looked through the window and saw everyone smiling.

"Hey Greg," I said smiling.

"Chris," Greg said tiredly, "Spencer, I didn't know you two were here."

"Haven't left," I said shrugging, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he said calmly, "But a lot better. Thanks."

"We won't stay long," I said smiling, "We just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I am," he said nodding, "It was benign. So there's no worries. I have to stay here a few days, but I'll be fine."

"Good," I said grinning, "We'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," he said yawning, "See you then."

"Spencer," Angel said softly, "Thank you."

Angel went over to Spencer and kissed his cheek softly. Both Spencer and Angel started to blush hard. Greg, Nick, and I grinned widely at each other before either of them looked at us.

Maybe I was wrong about this whole thing being at the wrong time. Angel needed someone with her during this whole time and I was glad that the two of them had each other.

"Come on Spencer," I said moving him to the door, "We'll be seeing them a lot."

"You bet it," Greg said grinning before we left them with a smile.


End file.
